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Rhubarb Fool

The very first recipe I tested for Gourmet magazine was a rhubarb fool. It was a rather complicated affair that required a sugar syrup—of which you used only half—gelatin, whipped cream, and a whipped egg white. Fools don't need to be so involved; they're an old British dessert that basically consists of a fruit puree folded into whipped cream. The recipe below will show you just how delicious four simple ingredients simply united can be.

Ingredients

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Preparation

In a heavy 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy pot combine rhubarb, sugar, and water and bring to a boil, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb begins to break down, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove lid and briskly simmer, stirring frequently, until rhubarb is completely broken down into a thick purée and reduced to about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer rhubarb to a bowl and let it cool, then chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Purée can be made and refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days ahead.

Beat cream in a deep bowl with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks—for this fool, I like the cream to be slightly beyond the soft peak stage but not quite stiff—and fold it into the rhubarb. Don't feel you have to completely incorporate the cream and the rhubarb into a smooth pink fluff. I like to leave it a little streaky with swirls of rhubarb coursing through the cream.

Divide the fool among 6 goblets.

Cooks' Note:

The fool can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Let it stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes to soften slightly.

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Recent Reviews

i've done it! i'm so
thankful i didn't
actually make kemp
minifie's rhubarb
fool until summer
was nearly over. had
i discovered it
early on in the
season, i would have
certainly been
forced to sew
elastic into the
waistbands of all my
pants. i haven't
done the research,
but i'm going to go
with my hunch and
say that the humble
fool is the
precursor to and
inspiration for all
of those crazy
jello, mayonnaise,
cool whip and fruit
cocktail concoctions
that became so
popular in the 50's
in that it's fluffy
and fruity and
creamy in the same
way, except that
it's made with
wonderful
ingredients that a
common homemaker was
likely to have had
on hand: heavy
cream, sugar,
vanilla and in its
season, rhubarb. the
fool itself is
difficult to
describe...somewhere
between a pudding
and a mousse, but
with tiny tart
threads of fruit to
counterbalance the
richness of the
whipped cream. as is
often the case with
desserts featuring
rhubarb, it's not
much of a looker.
that said, i did add
about 10 sliced
strawberries to the
rhubarb as it was
cooking down, just
to give it a bit of
a rosy hue. as one
would imagine, it's
quite rich, and just
the smallest bit is
completely
satisfying. heck,
yes i'm going to
make it again,
experimenting with
different fruits and
possibly adding
liqueurs to the
whipped cream. i may
use a bit of it
between layers of a
lemon pound cake. i
don't know, but i'm
quite pleased to
have it in my
arsenal..thank you,
kemp, for sharing
this!

culinarykitten from portland, or /

Flag if Inappropriate

Why have I not made this yet? Let's
see...fresh whipped cream, rhubarb, sugar and vanilla folded gently into
a charming, old-timey
dessert. What is there not to like? Let's couple this with the
fact that I have a freezer and
garden that are both brimming with
rhubarb, it is too hot to
turn the oven on. If I wanted to really pour it on, I could remind everyone that this recipe comes to us from a true cooking world legend, and a much-missed publication. It represents a delicious little piece of our culinary history, truth be told. I'm making it! Stay tuned, fellow epicurious readers!